COCK (THE COCKFIGHT PLAY) at Dramatic Repertory Company

Dramatic Repertory Company (Keith Powell Beyland, Artistic Director) presents the Maine Premiere c*ck(the cockfight play) by Mike Bartlett, directed by Keith Powell Beyland & Tess Van Horn, playing November 9 - 18, 2018. This premiere production will be presented at the Studio Theater at Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave.
The production includes Ian Carlsen (Equivocation, DRC), James Herrera (The Boston Trial of a Book Named Naked Lunch), Andrew Sawyer ([title of show], DRC), and Marjolaine Whittlesey (False Flag, DRC). The show is helmed by Keith Powell Beyland (The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, DRC) & Tess Van Horn (The True Story of Little Red, TM).

When emotions are high - the claws come out. Mike Bartlett's (CONTRACTions) highly charged and deeply funny language play provides a unique look at sexual identity, infidelity, and the ways in which our emotions can overwhelm our actions. c*ckis prescribed to be performed with no props, set or pantomime, so the focus is all on the drama. John has been in a stable relationship with his boyfriend for a number of years. But when they separate for a time, he unexpectedly falls in love with a woman. Torn between the two, filled with guilt and conflicting emotions, he doesn't know which way to turn. His boyfriend is willing to wait for him to make a decision, but so is his girlfriend. And both are prepared to fight to keep him. As the pressure mounts, a dinner with both parties is arranged, and a surprise guest
arrives to make a lively foursome. They all want to know: Who is John? What is he? And what will his decision be?

"A terrific comedy...Hypnotic and utterly contemporary." - NY Times

"Pure theatricality. An engagingly unique perspective on affairs of the heart...and that
other part of the body." -NY1

Playing November 9 - 18, 2018 at the Studio Theater at Portland Stage, 25A Forest
Ave.

November 9 - 11 at 7:30pm,

November 14 - 18, 2018 at 7:30pm. T

Tickets for c*ckrange from $10 - $25 with Premium Tickets also available. Tickets are available now from Brown Paper Tickets --online at www.dramaticrep.org or by phone at 800-838-3006.

n.b. - due to the nature of the play, no one under 17 will be admitted.

Cock cast & creative:

IAN CARLSEN* (M) is at the farthest extremities of excitement to be back onstage with DRC. He previously appeared in Equivocation back in 2014. Elsewhere: The Conquest of the South Pole (Snowlion Rep.); Richard II (Portland Shakespeare Co.); King Lear (Kevin O'Leary Presents); Dancing at Lughnasa (Saco River Grange); Romeo & Juliet, The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (Theater at Monmouth);
Eurydice, Pride & Prejudice (The Theater Project); Love & Information, Owners, Gargantua!, Our Late Night, The Threepenny Opera, Blood Wedding, Ubu Roi (Lorem Ipsum); The Little Dog Laughed, Hay Fever (Good Theater); Philadelphia Here I Come!, Playboy of the Western World, The Cripple of Inishmaan (AIRE); Twelfth
Night, Love's Labours Lost, Romeo & Juliet (Fenix Theater). Ian is proud to be a working artist in Maine. Love and thanks to friends and family.

James Herrera (F) calls South Portland home where he works with a number of different companies; roles for Mad Horse Theatre Company include Martin in The Goat, Hector in The History Boys, and Sorn in Stupid F*cking Bird. Also, numerous character parts for Maine State Ballet, including six turns as Drosselmeyer in the holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. PortFringe saw him as Allen Ginsberg in
Tim Ferrell's The Boston Trial of a Named Naked Lunch. James played York in a site specific production of Richard II for Portland Shakespeare Company. He is the voice of Prof. Abraham in Final Rune's post- apocalyptic podcast, The Cleansed, Rah El Rex in Audible's cult comic, Starstruck, and Milton Keansey in Audible's X-FILES:Stolen Lives episode, Chitters. He has studied at The New Actor's Workshop in NYC
and the Mid-Summer at Oxford program at BADA in the UK; James is a graduate of MGSA/Rutgers University. He is very happy and gratified to be making his DRC debut.

ANDREW SAWYER (John) is back. So, buckle up. Andrew is beyond words to describe just how honored he is to be a part of this production. Having spent the last two years in Los Angeles he is delighted to be back home among his family, friends, and the clean air. The production of this show marks the end of a long cycle of joys and sadness, adventures and disappointments, love and loneliness, but above all tremendous amounts of growth and change, and Andrew is very excited to see where the next door leads him. Andrew would like to give his most sincere thanks to Keith and Vanessa for offering him the opportunity to once again play on the DRC stage, as well as everyone who keeps this great community of artists alive and thriving.

MARJOLAINE WHITTLESEY (W) is thrilled to be back on stage with DRC. As an actor, director, and educator she embraces the challenges and rewards of working on new plays. Off stage she helps kids find their own creative voice as Lead Teacher at The Telling Room. Recent shows include: False Flag Dramatic Repertory Company), String Around My Finger (Portland Stage Company), Sofonisba (Dramatic Repertory Company), Cyrano (Theater at Monmouth), Traveling Light (Celebration Barn Ensemble), Macbeth (Bare Portland), Love & Information (Lorem Ipsum), and The Puzzle Box (Ziggurat Theater Ensemble). * Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing
under a Special Appearance Contract.

Mike Bartlett (Playwright) Theatre includes: King Charles III (Almeida, West End, and Broadway), Bull (Sheffield Theatres / Off-Broadway); Medea (Headlong / Glasgow Citizens / Watford /Warwick); Chariots of Fire (Hampstead Theatre / West End); Love, Love, Love (Paines Plough / Theatre Royal Plymouth / Royal Court); 13 (National Theatre); Decade (co-writer, Headlong); Earthquakes in London (Headlong / National Theatre / UK Tour); c*ck(Royal Court / Off-Broadway); Contractions; My
Child (Royal Court); Artefacts (Nabokov / Bush Theatre / 59E59 Theatres, New York). Radio includes: The Core; Heart; Liam; The Steps; Love Contract; Not Talking; The Family Man. Television includes: "The Town." As a director, theatre includes: Medea (Headlong Theatre / Glasgow Citizens/ Watford Palace Theatre/Warwick Arts Centre); Honest (Royal & Derngate Theatre). King Charles III won the Olivier
Award for Best Play in 2015. Love, Love, Love won Best New Play in the 2011 Theatre Awards UK, and c*ckwon an Olivier Award in 2010 for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. Mike also received the Writer's Guild Tinniswood and Imison prizes for Not Talking, and the Old Vic New Voices Award for Artefacts. His television series "The Town." was nominated for a BAFTA for Breakthrough Talent. Mike is currently developing a film version of Earthquakes in London, along with television projects with the BBC, ITV, Big Talk, and Drama Republic. He is under commission from Headlong Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Hampstead Theatre, and The Royal Court. Mike is the Associate Playwright at Paines Plough. In 2011 he was Writer-in-Residence at The National Theatre, and in 2007 he was Pearson Playwright in Residence at The Royal Court.

Keith Powell BEYLAND (Co-Director) recently directed the critically-acclaimed DRC productions of Venus In Fur (co-directed, Theatrical Highlight of 2017 - Portland Phoenix), The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence (Theatrical Highlight of 2015 - Portland Phoenix), Equivocation (co- directed, Theatrical Highlight of 2014 - Portland Phoenix), My Name Is Rachel Corrie, (Theatrical Highlight of 2014 - Portland Phoenix) A Bright New Boise (co-production with Fenix Theatre, Theatrical Highlight of 2013 - Portland Phoenix), Topdog/Underdog (Best Production - 2013 PEER Award, Theatrical Highlight of 2012 - Portland Phoenix), [title of show], Tigers Be Still, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Life During Wartime and Blue/Orange. He spent the last two decades working on and off Broadway with respected organizations like Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Signature Theatre
Company (NY), The New Group, Berkshire Theatre Festival and Irondale Ensemble Project. Keith studied with Athol Fugard, John Patrick Shanley, Paula Vogel, Maria Irene Fornes, Anne Hamburger, Carey Perloff and Venable Herndon, among others. He holds a degree with Honors from the Dramatic Writing Program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

TESS Van Horn (Co-Director) is a Portland based theater artist/teacher and has worked as a director and actor throughout Maine with such companies as AIRE, Dramatic Repertory Company, Fenix Theater, Good Theater, Maine Playwright's Festival, Portland Stage, Seacoast Rep and Theater at Monmouth. She is founding member of Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and holds a degree in theater
from Sarah Lawrence College.

DRC will also continue its FuturePatrons program in 2018/2019. With FuturePatrons, theatre-goers 25 and under can see DRC shows for FREE!! Theatre is habit forming, and DRC wants to be a catalyst. DRCs innovative program strives to help build the next generation of theatre-goers. FuturePatron tickets are available day-of only, and require government-issued photo ID as proof of age. Seating is first-come, first-served and subject to availability.

DRC is pleased to announce the beginning of our subscription program!
https://drcsub.bpt.me will link you directly or visit www.dramaticrep.org to learn more about becoming a DRC subscriber! Tickets for all productions can be found online at http://www.dramaticrep.org.

Dramatic Repertory Company's Board of Directors, Bess Welden (President),
Meg Anderson, Peter Brown, Marjorie Gallant and Sally Wood.
Dramatic Repertory Company aims to make a dramatic difference in the community. DRC continues to establish a burgeoning reputation for provocative and professional productions. DRC intends to produce new and overlooked works that otherwise may never be seen in Maine, as well as provide fresh perspectives on classic works.

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